It looks like the end for Jamie Moyer and Greg Dobbs in Phillies uniforms.

The Phillies said today that Moyer and Dobbs, who was eligible for salary arbitration, have become unrestricted free agents. Both players could return in 2011, although it is highly unlikely. The Phillies placed both players on waivers earlier this week to expedite the process for them to become free agents, which is a pretty good sign they don’t plan to bring them back. Once they cleared waivers, each player filed for free agency.

The waiver process also allowed the Phillies to clear two spots on the 40-man roster.

Moyer, who turns 48 next month, finished the season on the disabled list with an injured elbow. He is going to pitch Winter Ball in the Dominican Republic to see if he can pitch and possibly get a contract before Spring Training.

“It’s great,” Brown said, who went 0 for 1 and scored a run in the NLDS. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to be on the roster, but it has turned into another great experience for me.”

Ruben Amaro Jr. said manager Charlie Manuel made the final decision. He said Manuel felt Brown “would bring a little bit more to the table. It was a tough decision. Charlie ultimately felt like it was the right thing for us to do.”

Brown hit .210 (13 for 62) with three doubles, two home runs and 13 RBIs during the regular season. Dobbs hit .198 (32 for 163) with seven doubles, five home runs and 15 RBIs. Manuel said Brown’s and Dobbs’ offense was equal. He said Brown’s speed was an advantage over Dobbs, although he said Dobbs’ experience and ability to play the infield were important.

Not important enough.

“I thought that maybe my postseason experience and how well I’ve done in the postseason might play a role in it,” Dobbs said. “Being an older veteran, more experienced, more versatile, I thought that would play in my favor. Obviously, it did not.”

It’s late in Milwaukee, which means I might have to hit up a George Webb on the way home.

But first a few notes about the Phillies’ 4-2 victory last night over the Brewers:

The Phillies have won 11 of their last 14 games.

They are 23-13, which is the best record in the National League.

They swept the Brewers for the first time at Miller Park since 2004.

Cole Hamels allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings. He is 2-0 with a 2.75 ERA in his last three starts. “I feel like I’ve come a long way with making the adjustments, getting used to the new pitches and just trying to attack,” Hamels said. “Trying to make the hitters, attacking, attacking, attacking. Knowing to back off, knowing to hit my spots, knowing when to go up and down, I think I’ve finally been able to figure it out. I think that’s just kind of something you have to be able to do over and over.”

J.C. Romero picked up his first save since July 10, 2008.

The Brewers retired the Phillies in order just four times in the entire series.

The Phillies’ 7-8-9 hitters hit .353 (12-for-34) with 11 runs scored and four RBIs. “The top six guys in this lineup are really good,” said Paul Hoover, who hit .500 (5-for-10) with two doubles, two RBIs and six runs scored in the series. “It’s unfortunate for the team that Jimmy (Rollins) and Juan (Castro) are a little banged up and Brian (Schneider) and Carlos (Ruiz) are a little banged up, but we’re just trying to come here and contribute the best way we can.”

Shane Victorino hit .533 (8-for-15) with a home run, seven RBIs and four runs scored against the Brewers.

The Phillies are 13-7 on the road, which is the best mark in the National League.

I went 2 of 3 in the famous Sausage Race. I correctly picked Polish on Friday and Hot Dog on Sunday. Picked Hot Dog on Saturday, but he finished a close second to Polish.

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Roy Halladay looked like Roy Halladay in today’s 3-2 victory over the Yankees at Bright House Field.

He threw 24 pitches, 21 for strikes. He allowed no hits, no walks and no runs and struck out three in two innings. He looked good. Here is what Yankees ace CC Sabathia had to say about it:

“I think it will be a pretty easy transition for him,” Sabathia said. “He’ll like facing the 7-8-9 guys in the National League. The type of pitcher he is, I expect him to go out and be even better than he was with the Blue Jays.”

But are the Phillies better with Halladay instead of Cliff Lee?

“It’s kind of a wash, I feel like,” he said. “If they would have kept the two of them, they’re definitely the team to beat. If Cliff was over here, he’d say the same thing. They’re still a good team and the team to beat in the National League. I don’t think they’ve really lost anything.”

Sergio Escalona blew a 1-0 run lead in the ninth, allowing four hits and two runs to hand the Yankees a 2-1 lead. But Brian Bocock singled and pinch-runner Quintin Berry scored on Paul Hoover‘s double in the botto of the ninth to tie the game. Hoover advanced to third on the throw home. Pinch-runner Dewayne Wise scored the winning run when Wilson Valdez singled off Yankees pitcher Wilkins Arias.

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The Zo Zone is on Facebook and Twitter. His Phillies book “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” is available online, and at Delaware Valley bookstores!

The Phillies announced today they have invited seven players to spring training as non-roster invitees:

Chris Duffy, OF. Duffy, 29, started last season with the Milwaukee Brewers, hitting .125 with three RBIs in 19 games. He finished the season with Triple-A Nashville. He has hit .262 with six home runs and 52 RBIs in 212 big-league games with Pittsburgh (2005-07) and Milwaukee (2009).

Paul Hoover, C. Hoover, 33, hit .253 with one home run and 28 RBIs in his 73 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He had three hits in four at-bats with the Phillies, including a walk-off single in the season finale against Florida.

Cody Ransom, INF. Ransom, 33, split last season with the New York Yankees and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He began the season as the Yankees’ Opening Day third baseman, filling in for Alex Rodriguez. Ransom hit .190 with 10 RBIs in 31 games. He has played with the San Francisco Giants (2001-04), Houston Astros (2007) and Yankees (2008-09).

Andy Tracy, INF. An International League postseason All-Star in 2009, Tracy, 36, spent the entire season with Lehigh Valley. He led the league in walks (74), finished second in home runs (26) and RBIs (96) and finished fourth in runs scored (76). Tracy also appeared in nine games with the Phillies, where he made one start and hit .500 (4-for-8) as a pinch-hitter.

DeWayne Wise, OF. Wise, 31, spent last season with the Chicago White Sox. He set career highs in games (84), at-bats (142) and doubles (eight). He hit .268 in 44 games after the All-Star break and was 4-for-9 as a pinch-hitter. Wise, who made a game-saving, over-the-wall catch in Mark Buehrle‘s perfect game in July, appeared in 35 games in center field (24 starts), 34 in left field (10 starts) and five in right field (two starts). He has played with the Toronto Blue Jays (2000, 2002), Atlanta Braves (2004), Cincinnati Reds (2006-07) and White Sox (2008-09).

Wilson Valdez, INF. Valdez, 32, split last season between the Cleveland Indians and New York Mets. He began the year with Triple-A Columbus, but was traded to the Mets on May 27 and outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo on June 25. Valdez combined to hit .247 with 12 RBIs in 77 games in the Minors. He hit .256 (22-86) with seven RBIs in 41 games with the Mets.

Bill White, LHP. White, 31, did not pitch last season. He last pitched for the Texas Rangers organization in 2008, when he combined to go 4-1 with six saves and a 3.48 ERA in 51 relief appearances between Triple-A Oklahoma and Single-A Bakersfield. He appeared in eight games for Texas in 2008.

The Phillies have agreed to terms on Minor League contracts with four players, according to a source. The players will have invitations to Spring Training:

Outfielder DeWayne Wise, who preserved Mark Buehrle‘s perfect game in July with a leaping catch at the wall in the ninth inning at U.S. Cellular Field, hit .225 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 142 at-bats last season for the Chicago White Sox. He is a .216 career hitter in seven seasons in the Majors.

Infielder Wilson Valdez hit .256 with seven RBIs in 86 at-bats for the New York Mets. He is a career .222 in four seasons in the Majors.

Infielder Andy Tracy hit .417 in 12 at-bats for the Phillies.

Catcher Paul Hoover had three hits in four at-bats in three games for the Phillies.

The Phillies have bigger fish to fry than finding Eric Bruntlett‘s replacement as the team’s utility player — they’re looking hard for a third baseman and bullpen help — but it certainly has its importance. It’s especially important because they have nobody in the system that can play shortstop for a significant stretch should something happen to Jimmy Rollins.

The Phillies recently removed Bruntlett, right-hander Tyler Walker, catcher Paul Hoover, infielder Andy Tracy and right-hander John Ennis from their 40-man roster. They have become free agents. Bruntlett and Walker will not be back next season, although Philadelphia contacted the agents for Hoover, Tracy and Ennis about possible returns.

Names to watch to replace Bruntlett are John McDonald, Omar Vizquel, Jamey Carroll, Ronnie Belliard and Juan Uribe. Miguel Cairo, who played for the Phillies in 2009, is a free agent and could be a possibility, but I think the Phillies probably would like to go elsewhere.

Bruntlett hit just .171 (18-for-105) with seven doubles, seven RBIs and two stolen bases in very limited action this season. Bruntlett hit a more respectable .217 in 2008, when he had 212 at-bats because of an ankle injury to Rollins in April and came in as a late defensive replacement for former left fielder Pat Burrell.

Bruntlett scored the winning runs in Games 3 and 5 of the 2008 World Series, and is a good guy. Best of luck to him.

Phillies left-hander J.A. Happ placed second in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Florida’s Chris Coghlan won with 104 points.

Happ had 94 points.

Coghlan got 17 first-place votes, but was missing completely on seven of 32 ballots. Happ was the only pitcher to get a vote on every ballot. Coghlan placed second on six ballots and third on two. Happ got 11 second-place votes and 11 third-place votes.

Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson received two first-place votes and finished third with 37 points. Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen finished fourth with 25 points. The other first-place vote went to Brewers infielder Casey McGehee.

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The Phillies removed Eric Bruntlett, Tyler Walker, Paul Hoover, Andy Tracy and John Ennis from the 40-man roster. They are now free agents. Bruntlett and Walker will not be back next season, but Hoover, Tracy and Ennis might.

It took longer than expected, but the regular season finally ended this afternoon when Paul Hoover scored John Mayberry Jr. in the bottom of the 10th inning in a 7-6 victory over the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park.

Onto the postseason …

The Phillies have off tomorrow and will hold a workout Tuesday before Game 1 against the Rockies at 2:37 p.m. Wednesday. (It could be Cole Hamels vs. Ubaldo Jimenez.) But there will be meetings and discussions about the postseason roster in the meantime. The Phillies do not need to submit their 25-man roster until 10 a.m. Wednesday, but there were clues and answers about it after the game:

Charlie Manuel said he might not take 12 pitchers. “I might go with 11,” he said. “I don’t know yet.”

Manuel could be thinking about 11 pitchers because Miguel Cairo has been playing well. He went 2-for-4 with a triple, home run and one RBI yesterday. He has hit .357 (10-for-28) with two doubles, one triple, one home run and two RBIs since he rejoined the team Aug. 29.

But before you start thinking Cairo could bump Eric Bruntlett, Manuel said he finds value in Bruntlett because he can play everywhere in the field, especially the outfield. The Phillies also consider him a better shortstop than Cairo. He can run, too. Bruntlett scored the winning runs in Games 3 and 5 of the World Series. I don’t think it’s Bruntlett or Cairo. I think it’s Bruntlett and maybe Cairo, although I have been surprised before.

Manuel sounds like he likes left-hander J.A. Happ in the rotation because the Rockies have a lineup loaded with left-handers. Happ shutout the Rockies in August, which helps his cause. But the Phillies also might need Happ in the bullpen because Scott Eyre looks like the only other lefty in the pen. “I always have looked at (Happ) as a starter and his success this year has been as a starter,” Manuel said. “I’m not ready to reveal what we’re going to do yet because I don’t know exactly what we’re going to do.”

Left-hander Jack Taschner quietly cleaned out his locker. The Phillies told him he would not be needed. Taschner was not surprised, but was upset nonetheless. He went 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in 24 appearances. The Phillies designated him for assignment earlier this season. He asked for his release, but the Phillies did not grant it. He pitched in the Minors and rejoined the team last week after suffering a back injury. He pitched just once. Taschner is salary arbitration eligible, but does not expect to be back next season. “I’m not going to say anything,” he told me. “What is done is done.” Ruben Amaro Jr. later told me, “As far as his future here, we haven’t made any decisions. It was a tough year for him. Frankly, I think because he struggled earlier in the year, it was one of the reasons why he didn’t pitch a lot because he didn’t perform at the level we would have liked. He was caught in a Catch 22. He didn’t pitch a lot, and when he did he wasn’t as effective. I like Jack a lot.” Taschner changed his mechanics in the Minors, which Amaro said could prove beneficial next season. If he is back.

Amaro also said while Taschner’s season is over, the Phillies have sent left-hander Sergio Escalona and Mayberry to Clearwater, Fla., to play in case they are needed.

Before Taschner cleared out his locker and before Amaro said Escalona was headed to Clearwater, Manuel said it would be tough to put Taschner, Escalona and left-hander Antonio Bastardo into big-game situations. I would surprised to see Bastardo to make the roster based simply off what Manuel said. “It’s kind of hard to put a young kid in there,” he said.

He said Brett Myers is ready to pitch in short bursts, but not multiple innings. Myers pronounced himself ready to go in back-to-back games. I expect him to be on the roster.

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